City Manager Signs Parking Lease, Could Make Changes

The city signed an agreement on June 17
to lease its parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater Cincinnati
Port Authority, but the mayor and City Council may make changes to the
plan before it’s implemented.

At the same time, opponents are moving to
appeal the court ruling that allowed the city to sign the lease, which
could put the case in front of the Ohio Supreme Court.

For Cincinnati, the plan will first
produce a $92 million one-time payment. Following that, the city will
get an estimated $3 million a year, which the city says will eventually
increase to $7 million and continue climbing afterward.

Still, the city says it won’t spend any funds until there is legal certainty, meaning until potential appeals are exhausted.

Opponents gathered more than 12,000
signatures supporting a referendum on the plan, but an appeals court
ruling on June 12 might have killed referendum efforts.

With its decision, the Hamilton County Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s ruling
and sided with the city over critics of the plan, deciding that the
city can use emergency clauses to avert referendum efforts on passed
legislation, including the parking plan.

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Emergency clauses also allow
the city to bypass a 30-day waiting period on implementing laws.

The appeals court later refused to delay
enforcement of its ruling, which allowed the city manager to sign the
lease within days.

In the aftermath, six out of nine council
members have backed changing or repealing the plan. A spokesperson for
Mayor Mark Mallory says the mayor is open to changes, but the mayor
would veto a repeal.

City Solicitor John Curp says the mayor
has the power through the City Charter to hold proposed ordinances until
the end of his term on Nov. 30, which means the mayor can effectively
stop all repeal attempts.

Correction: The city
signed the lease June 17, not June 18 as originally reported in the story.
The city made the announcement June 18, which caused confusion and
miscommunication.